Article on Andres Galaragga (http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050306&content_id=958330&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb)
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Baseball has been a lifeline to Andres Galarraga since his days as a teenager in Caracas, Venezuela. At the age of 43, the game not only keeps the cancer survivor feeling young, it keeps him feeling alive.
"Baseball is in my blood, and it motivates me," said Galarraga, who will be 44 in June. "For me, it helped save me. If you have cancer and you don't play baseball or a sport or anything like that, be motivated by your family, your kids, or something you like to do to beat it. Baseball is my big reason why I am here today."
"Here" for Galarraga is in Mets camp, as a minor league free agent, who is trying to earn a spot on the big league club and is competing with Doug Mientkiewicz for playing time at first base.
"My goal is to show I am healthy and I can help this team," Galarraga said. "We have a good team, and I want to be part of it."
Galarraga remains jovial, as always, and, for such a really big man -- probably bigger than ever, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing a hefty 265 pounds -- he still shows signs of the nimbleness at first base that earned him the nickname "Big Cat." And yes, he can still hit.
Galarraga is one home run shy of joining the 400-home-run club, and his displays of power during batting practice are a sight to behold for more than nostalgic reasons. With almost 20 years of big league experience, he mentors the Latin players, but the bilingual Galarraga can also share his knowledge in English.
But the Mets did not bring in Galarraga to be a coach -- yet. The organization brought him to camp to see if he can still play.
"I hope he has a great spring to give him a chance to make the club," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "He has tremendous respect from his peers. He has been there, and he can teach and can motivate, and he can still hit. Andres has got a chance. Nobody has secured a job yet. Competition is what Spring Training is about, and Andres is competitive. He's in the mix."
Mets general manager Omar Minaya's history with Galarraga goes back to the days when both worked in Montreal. Minaya said he has witnessed firsthand the positive effects of having the slugging first baseman around, both on the field and off. But like Randolph, Minaya, though encouraged by what he sees, is not offering the veteran a free pass to the 25-man roster.
Galarraga, like everybody else, is going to have to earn it.
"First of all, I think he can be a productive offensive player, and he has always played good defense," Minaya said. "That said, what he brings as a person to the club is invaluable. When Vladimir [Guerrero] almost had the 40-40 year in Montreal [in 2002], I think Andres had a lot to do with that. Vladdy went off last September for Anaheim, when they brought up Andres. Think about that. To me, there are players that make other guys better, and Andres is one of those. I call him the extra coach. He is also a guy who has been sick, so with him, it is day-to-day."
Galarraga's health history is not a subject the player shies away from, and it never has been. He grimaces when he mentions missing the entire 1999 season while with Atlanta after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and the six months of treatment, including chemotherapy, he endured. He returned in 2000 for three seasons, but in the winter of 2003, the cancer returned. Galarraga had surgery that November and underwent a stem cell transplant in February of 2004.
"When they told me it came back for a second time, it was easier because I had beat it before, and I knew how to do it," Galarraga said. "I was not scared. It was the opposite; I was more motivated to play again. I am going to end my career the way I want to, not because of cancer." "
His actions spoke louder than his words.
Anaheim signed Galarraga to a minor league deal last August, and he joined the Angels just more than a month later after hitting .304 with four home runs and 19 RBIs in 25 games at Triple-A. He played in seven games for the Angels, including one start, and delivered a pinch-hit home run, the 399th of his career, on Oct. 1.
"I have to thank Anaheim for the opportunity they gave me after coming back from cancer," he said. "I am very grateful to that organization. They gave me a chance for me to see if I could still do it and if I had the desire to keep on playing."
Galarraga feels he can still play, but whether he breaks camp with the Mets as the starter at first base, the backup, or in Triple-A, the outcome will have little effect upon his legacy in Venezuela. He is the all-time leader for Venezuelan-born players in home runs and RBIs and has been one of the country's most popular players since he made his big league debut with the Expos in 1985. The former star at Enrique Fermi High School in Caracas, who signed with Montreal in 1979, said he does not know when he is going to retire, even though he could have hung up his cleats years ago.
"Let me tell you something, if he runs for president of Venezuela, he is going to win," said Mets second baseman Miguel Cairo, also from Venezuela. "He's an idol, a Venezuelan idol that all kids want to be like. All the things he has gone through, his personality, his family and everything is a great example for the people in our country."
For his part, the five-time All-Star smiles that famous smile when he thinks of Venezuela, his fans, and the positive impact he has had upon lives during his career. He accepts the responsibilities that come with being a baseball player and a cancer survivor, and said he would not change a thing.
"You will get your life back from cancer," Galarraga said. "It's hard when you lose your hair and you're sick and you are throwing up. It's hard to stay positive when people start looking at you different and start treating you different, but you can overcome it. That's why I am here, and others can do it, too."
Now comes the part he lives for -- playing baseball.
Great article. I question his choice of coming into camp at 265 pounds. Seems he could stand to lose a good 30-40 pounds and it would probably make him a better player. Take it from me and all my major league experience. ::)
Yeah, i really would like to see him make the team, but the weight thing might be a problem. Time will tell.
Quote from: Nails on 03/07/05, 09:50:55 AM
Yeah, i really would like to see him make the team, but the weight thing might be a problem. Time will tell.
Depends if he is on Steroids or not. Are there any current pics of him out there.
Quote from: stockw19 on 03/07/05, 09:52:59 AM
Depends if he is on Steroids or not. Are there any current pics of him out there.
I was thinking the same thing, but didn't want to say it. The Big Cat is too good for steriods.
(http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/images/2005/03/06/NUr6XNN3.jpg)
They always get the best facial expressions.
I don't know. His arms look pretty veiny.
He's just portly.
(http://www.elmundo.com.ve/ediciones/2002/05/14/munimg/p1-1s8g1.jpg)
"big-boned"
He looked nothing like that when I saw him playing for the 'spos back in 89
(http://www.thepostcard.com/walt/sports/baseball/bb304.gif)
The Big Cat is the man. . .. . Del Gato!
There is a picture of him in the "Jose: If you love him; marry him thread" with hjose where he looks pretty buffed too.
http://www.angelfire.com/me2/Jamber/TheCanMan.html
That first pic is screaming for Dee-Neetard.
Great article... We gotta keep another RBI'er in the majors, so Mets fans keep us abreast of his progress...
Galarraga goes yard vs. Atlanta (http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050306&content_id=958435&vkey=spt2005news&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym)
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Returning to an old haunt put a spring back in the Big Cat's legs.
Andres Galarraga, trying to earn a spot on the New York Mets' bench, got his first two hits of the spring Sunday as a Mets split-squad battled his former Braves teammates.
Galarraga led off the second inning with a broken-bat, opposite-field single off John Smoltz, who was making the first start of his return to Atlanta's rotation.
The only thing Galarraga threated to break in the fourth was the cooler of a fan sitting on the lawn beyond the left-field fence: He lined a home run off Zack Miner to get the Mets on the scoreboard.
When Galarraga, who had entered the game 0-for-3 in exhibition play, whipped his wrists through Miner's pitch, left fielder Brian Jordan didn't even bother to make a move after the drive.
Galarraga sprinted around the bases like a 22-year-old trying to outrace a relay from the outfield -- not a 43-year-old in a match race with Father Time.
He obviously was elated to be able to show his best to former Braves teammates who had greeted him warmly. Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones were among those who came up to Galarraga while the Mets loosened up before batting practice, giving him warm hugs.
Galarraga spent the 1998 and 2000 seasons in Atlanta. He sat out 1999 after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
He went 2-for-3 in Sunday's game, striking out in his last at-bat. Hoping to land a job as a pinch-hitter and backup to first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, Galarraga is batting .333 (2-for-6) this spring.
Sounds like he might be in decent playing condition, despite weighing in at 265.
I haven't posted more about Galarraga because everything I've been hearing lately is bad news. Apparently he had 2 homeruns this weekend and made a few good plays at first, but previously, he's been reported to be playing bad defense (a few Buckners through the legs) and batting below the Mendoza line.
Stats as of Sunday 8 AM:
11 games, 22 ABs, 4 hits, 2 HRs, 4 RBIs, .182 batting average.
Especially now that Steve Trachsel will be out for a few months, it's not looking good for Andres making the team, as the Mets traded for shady left-hander Kaz Ishii and will likely carry more pitchers to bolster the bullpen.
On a postive note, RBIer Howard Johnson has been working with Galarraga to improve bat speed, with apparently some success. Here's the whole article:
Galarraga makes best of chances (http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050320&content_id=972457&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym)QuoteThe "Big Cat" seemingly quickened his bat by working with former Met Howard Johnson, who will serve as the batting coach for the Mets' Triple-A Norfolk affiliate. Johnson noticed Galarraga's exaggerated open stance was preventing him from generating bat speed with his ample lower body.
"His shoulders are were doing all the work," Johnson said.
Since the adjustment, the bat speed and overall production have increased.